My Little Blackfoot
by Tigerdust
Summary: Second snapshot in the ongoing series. Angel and Xander are fathers to Buffy's only child before she died and they try to give him a normal life. The beginning of a sick day for Daniel Rupert Harris and Angel.
1. Chapter 1

A bustle broke into the silence. Angel was standing in the kitchen wearing a pair of wool socks that had been thoughtfully wrapped last Christmas and were being instilled as a sort of fatherly tradition. Like ties had become over the years to other fathers, Angel remarked to himself. The current wool socks on his feet, which were itchy but didn't make him much warmer, were a dark green with a deep red pinstripe.

"Daddy! Did you know that marshmallows are little baby snowmen from fresh Christmas snowflakes? My teacher said they weren't, but thats what Zaddy said they were and I would rather belief him than smelly old Mr. Latti anyday. He doesn't even let me...what are you doing?"

Daniel craned his neck down onto the island in the middle of the kitchen, not very aware that his puffy snow pants were now covered in flour. Angel had scooped him up as he had come running into the kitchen with hats and mittens and all still on. He probably would have drawn the line at the ice skates, but Xander had at least been able to untie the skates off of little Daniel before he had come careening into the kitchen.

"I told you I was gonna make cookies for Santa, my little blackfoot."

Xander at the doorway of the kitchen, where he was leaning with arms crossed and watching Angel hold Daniel in his arms while trying to keep the kid from kicking the rolling pin off the island and onto the floor. He resisted making a remark about the flour right then and there only because he knew he would definitely be doing laundry if he did so. And laundry, for some reason, was the only chore he really didn't like.

"Can I...?" Daniel threw his puppy dog eyes that made Angel's heartstrings tremble just a bit. Angel loved the kid dearly, had ever since Angel and Xander had adopted Buffy's only boy. She had died in childbirth and since Willow had heard about the Dark Willow in the future, she had not spoken up to take charge and Faith was pretty sure she didn't want to handle the responsibility since she was already trying for a kid with Giles.

But Xander had known the moment the kid came that he wanted to protect it. The nurse at the hospital had been named Daniel Rupert and Buffy had thought it fitting enough. Complications had arisen when the kid was found to be intersex, but with mostly male traits. Angel had come along soon enough after and while it wasn't love yet, it was good enough for Xander.

There was no doubt that Angel loved the kid, even when he tried to take apart the toaster or ran through the kitchen barefoot with black mud on his feet after Xander had told him not to run into the house at the moment. Angel and Daniel shared a very intimate bond and it was clear which dad he favored. Xander tried not to feel jealous when he had to be the bad guy on pudding nights.

"You can test one of the cookies for Santa after dinner. But you gotta get out of your coat and get washed up right now, Daniel."

"Awww..."

Angel raised an eyebrow at his son, which was enough to make Daniel stop. "Better do as Zaddy says, or he'll talk me down to half a cookie and cocoa without marshmallows."

Daniel's eyes went wide at the thought of losing his favorite cocoa treat. "But I love the marshmallows! Okay...."

Daniel climbed down reluctantly and ran past Xander back to the entrance of the house. Angel heard him pause just a moment before checking underneath the Christmas tree in case Santa had come three days early. He slowed when he found that was not the case.

Xander chuckled as he moved closer into the kitchen. "You are such a pushover."

Angel lightly elbowed Xander in the ribs as he passed to wash his hands. "You are too. Always with the glass of water at night. Don't think I don't notice."

"Damn kid's too cute with the loose tooth and the soft brown hair..."

"Got us both wrapped around his little fingers."

Xander sniffed on the air. "Roast smells good."

Angel nodded. "Should be about ready to come out of the oven. I turned it down right at the end so I can just put the batch of cookies in and they'll be done by the time you've carved it up."

Xander held his index finger up in the air good-naturedly. "Oy! Why do I have to carve? I was busy exercising all day with Daniel at the skating rink, if you recall?"

Angel shook his head as he reached for pot holders. "Because it is my night off from work and I am gonna set the table since it's time to use the Christmas plates."

Daniel announced his return with all the grace of the elephants. "I'm back! Are you sure I can't test the cookies before dinner?"

Angel and Xander spoke in unison. "No."

Xander called out as he checked the drawer for his chefs knife. "Hey, little man. Why don't you help daddy put out the place settings? He wants to use the Christmas tree plates, so you'll have to be extra careful."

Daniel craned his neck to look up at Angel. He had never been allowed to even carry one of the plates, even for the great Santa Claus on Christmas eve before he went to bed. "Really?"

Angel smiled. "Your hands clean, blackfoot?"

Daniel slowly raised his hands up to eye level. "Looks clean to me!"

Angel walked over with a bit of playful menace. "Ah! But germs you cannot see could be all over those fingertips. They can only be defeated by Captain Soap!"

Daniel squealed with delight as Angel chased him to the downstairs bathroom to make sure his hands were clean for dinner. Xander just shook his head as he stood in the island of the kitchen, chopping the roast into pieces while hearing Daniel talk about his trip to the skating rink in excruciating detail to Daddy.


	2. Chapter 2

Snapshot 2: Beginning of a Sick Day

Cough. Cough.

Xander knocked lightly on little Daniel Harris' bedroom door. "Ready to get up for school, little man?"

Cough. Cough.

Daniel's voice had a tiny scratch to it. Xander could hear the pleading in his voice but getting older meant it was harder for him to discern whether his little man was faking it or not. _Kind of like a superpower,_ Xander mused to himself.

Daniel broke into Xander's thoughts. "I don't feel very well, zaddy."

Xander furrowed his brow as he entered his little man's room. Stepping over a stuffed blue rhino that was scattered on the floor, Xander placed the back of his hand on Daniel's forehead. "Hmm..."

"What is it?"

Xander moved his hand off of his son's forehead, Daniel's eyes following the hand. "Well, its not hot enough to fry an egg off of, yet."

Cough. Giggle. Cough.

"Awww...."

Xander nodded his head slowly. "Daddy will be home soon. We'll see what he has to say, alright?" As if on cue, the front door opened and closed quickly. Xander looked back at Daniel as he turned to walk from the room. "We'll get some oatmeal started for you, little man."

Daniel's voice chirped out as Xander headed for the stairs. "Don't forget the raisins, Zaddy, please?"

"Okay, little man," Xander called out as he reached the bottom of the stairs and headed for the kitchen.

Angel was already cleaning his work thermos out in the sink, red water finally turning clear in the heat of the running faucet. Placing the silver thermos in the dish rack, he turned to face Xander, not even bothering to conceal the half-yawn in his face. "Is Danny up and getting his teeth brushed?"

Xander took a step forward, resisting the urge to fix the crooked part of Angel's tie. "Little man's not feeling too well. I'm gonna start the oatmeal for him anyways and we'll wait for your expert opinion."

"Aye?" Angel crooked an eyebrow. "You think I'm going to be unbiased?"

Xander rolled his eyes as he opened the pantry door to grab the instant oatmeal box and a small box of raisins for stirring in. "As if. But the only unbiased person would probably be Giles. And, knowing him, he would most likely just use a phrase like...i don't know...idle hands are the devil's joy?"

Angel chuckled. "He was a young man once too."

Xander opened a door and rooted around for a measuring cup. "Not to him hear tell it. He never saw his parents, just the elders on the Council. And that so does not count. Personally, I wouldn't begrudge little man a day or two off."

"You think he could stand it?"

Xander worked on programming the microwave, watching the light buzz on as the bowl started to turn. "You've been working a lot. He asked about you yesterday when I picked him up from school. Maybe he just needs some dad time."

Angel cast his eyes down, trying to hide the blush. "Nonsense. He likes you more."

Xander didn't bother to respond, just thrusting the slightly steaming oatmeal into Angel's hand, along with a hot pad. Fixing the raisins and a glass of water on a tv tray from the island cabinet, Xander took the oatmeal from Angel and put it on the tray. They were still for a moment, Xander doing his best to resist the urge to reach up and peck Angel's cheek while Angel resisted the urge to grab Xander around the waist.

Xander finally reacted to a tiny cough from upstairs. "I've gotta get to work. You get to be the bad guy this time." Turning with a final tone of irony, Xander walked down the hallway and into the office to figure out which tie he wanted to wear. He hated the ties, but the foreman salary was more than enough.

_Xander is right, of course_, Angel thought as he picked up the tray and headed up to Daniel's room. Angel had been pulling extra duty at the new Watchers Library as its head of security. His clearance allowed him limited access to the cameras and, if necessary, to pertinent documents that Giles requested. Knowing that Giles and Faith were watching him vigilantly actually hurt less than he thought it would. Having Daniel and Xander in his life made it worth that and even more frightening for him. Angel made a mental note to crush up an energy caplet into his evening blood so that he could stay up with Daniel.

"Hey kiddo, how we feeling?"

Daniel sat up as Angel entered the room and his face lit up. "You remembered the raisins. Is Zaddy leaving for work? Am I staying home with you?"

Angel crooked his brow. "Lets see what your forehead says."

Daniel broke out into a grin as he watched Angel's palm go across his furrowed brow. "Your hand isn't cold. Must've been warm last night."

"You're a little warm yourself, little man. Here...we'll let Zaddy get to work and then I'll help you color in your dinosaur book, okay?"

Daniel nodded as he scooted over so Angel could sit on the small bed and he could burrow into him while eating the maple brown sugar oatmeal with raisins mixed in. Daniel wiggled his toes as he ate, looking up at a slightly weary Angel every few seconds.

Xander's head popped into the room. His tie and jacket were already on. "How we doin' in here, guys?"

Angel spoke in soft tones. "We're gonna spend some time coloring."

Xander nodded and broke into a half-smile. "Okay. You keep Daddy out of trouble, alright Danny boy?"

Daniel nodded as he took another bite of oatmeal. "Kay, Zaddy. Have a good day!"

Xander opened his mouth to say that he loved them but then decided against it. He merely exclaimed as he walked out of sight, "Feel better, little man. I'll come home with some soup tonight."


End file.
